Area residents help raise funds from 'jail' for Muscular Dystrophy Assoc.

The Four Points Sheraton in Chambersburg was an unusually happy “jail” Thursday morning as participants raised roughly $55,000 for the Central Pennsylvania chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

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By Colleen Seidel/The Record Herald

Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

By Colleen Seidel/The Record Herald

Posted Feb. 8, 2013 at 11:30 AM

By Colleen Seidel/The Record Herald

Posted Feb. 8, 2013 at 11:30 AM

CHAMBERSBURG — With bells ringing, hands clapping, laughs and smiles, the conference room at the Four Points Sheraton in Chambersburg was an unusually happy "jail" Thursday morning as participants raised roughly $55,000 for the Central Pennsylvania chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

The fundraiser was an MDA "Lock Up," an event the association holds nationwide, in which area business men and women became "jailbirds" for a day, asked to raise money for the association as a way of securing their "release" from jail. Participants even had their pictures taken behind bars, complete with the iconic black-and-white striped prisoner's outfit.

"We try to make it fun," said Joe Alfano, executive director of the MDA Central Pennsylvania chapter, which serves 14 counties in the state.

"It's a combination of different things: the aspect of giving back, the networking opportunity," Alfano said, that make the event a success.

'Wanted' by MDA

Jane Rice, a nurse practitioner with Antrim Family Medicine and Walk-In Care in Greencastle, let her colleagues, friends and family know that she was raising money for MDA by making her own 'Wanted' poster.

With a picture of her face Photoshopped over the body of the Monopoly character Uncle Pennybags in prisoner garb, the poster read: "Description: usually wears a smile. Caution: heavily armed with kindness, could be contagious. Prior convictions: thoughtfulness and generosity."

She decided the poster would be a creative way to spread the word and ask for money instead of calling people for money. The strategy worked, as Rice raised all the donations she needed before even hitting the jail cell.

Ernie and Nancy Mellott of Mellott's Transport in Greencastle came to the table with a different strategy. They created a list of businesses to call during Ernie's "jail time," and it proved to be successful.

Lady Moon Farms of St. Thomas donated $500 to "bail" Ernie out of jail — $500 which would pay for a wheelchair and its maintenance for one whole year, according to Nancy Mellott.

B&M Diesel of St. Thomas and Century Leasing of Greencastle each donated $100 when Nancy called to bail Ernie out. In addition to donations raised beforehand at the Greencastle Senior Center, the Mellotts raised a total of $1,135 for MDA.

Mellott has a brother who has suffered from multiple sclerosis for 20 years and he said it has been hard for him to see his brother struggle.

"He went from being very active to completely inactive." So the goal coming in was to raise "as much as we could," Ernie said.

"Whatever the good Lord would provide for us," Nancy added.

Joyce Leaman of Waynesboro attended the event with her "jailed" husband, Dr. David Leaman, who ended up raising $1,100 for the cause.

Page 2 of 2 - "He has a very tender heart towards helping others," Joyce Leaman said of her husband. "He always gives of himself to charitable organizations."

Raised local, stays local

Seventy-seven cents of every dollar raised for MDA goes towards programs and services that help families within the area where the money is raised, according to Brian Denton, director of business development for the Central Pennsylvania chapter of MDA.

That means the money that is raised locally is used locally, Alfano added.

This proved to be an important point for many of the business leaders participating in the day's event.

"I enjoy the community aspect of it," said Mary Warren of Waynesboro, who represented Patriot Federal Credit Union with her colleague, Mary Middaugh, in their jail time.

"It's helping the people who we work with, who we live with," she said.

Rice, who had never participated before, said that was one of the reasons why she decided to help out.

"I don't make these decisions lightly. It's great that it stays in the community," she added.

Another reason Rice decided to participate was the low cost of overhead that MDA runs.